I've been thinking awhile about why Battlestar isn't as popular as it should be, it is critically acclaimed, gets good reviews and wins all kinds of awards but its ratings are always in the 1.3 region despite it being a very popular download on iTunes.

The only thing I can come up with is that sci-fi evokes a rather negetive image with most people, or rather its fans do. When I mention that I like Battlestar Galactica most people eyes glaze over and they flat out state that they do not like sci-fi despite being Buffy or Smallville fans.
I've gotten more than a couple people to start watching either after explaining the show for 20 minutes and repeating over and over that it is more than a drama than traditional sci-fi or showing them pictures of Grace Park and Tricia Helfer but most people still won't watch just because it is science fiction and they don't want to consider themselves sci-fi fans... aka dateless dorks who obsess over stupid things like the complete 3d layout of a ship or what kind of dylythium whatever the Enterprise uses.

So until that stigma hanging over sci-fi thanks to its hard core segment goes away (it it ever does) great science fiction shows will always have lower ratings than whatever crap is on network TV.

Actually I agree with you on this one. I have the same problem. People ask me what I watch and I tell them about BSG and they laugh at me. My own friends. lol They think it is cute or something like that. Yet they talk about Lost or some other show on the regular channels like it is so great or something. Don't get me wrong I love Lost, but BSG is good to.

Just like you said Dubs, it's the stigma of sci-fi label attached to it that does it. It does not matter what political, moral dilemmas are explored in the show and to what depth, as long as the action takes place on board a spaceship in a galaxy far far away, most people wouldn't really care. I gave up on trying to pursuade people I know to watch BSG. Just like with Thea, I would get some laughs at the fact that I am watching it and then some polite interest.

I am not sure at all how this attitude can be changed though. This genre seems to be permanently linked in public psyche with male adolescents (or those who weren't able to leave that phase) who aren't able to do well in sports.

I don't care about it's ratings though, as long as they stay sufficiently
high enough for it to be produced with the same quality it's made now. As for those who don't watch it, I just feel pity for them. They are missed a brilliant show.

-KB

I agree that there is a sort of stigma attached to scifi, which is silly because the same people who scoff at scifi fans as being underdeveloped nerds living in their parents' basements are the same ones who LOVE Lost and watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

They just need to keep producing high quality scifi dramas like BSG & one of these days people will understand that scifi fans aren't just losers with nothing better to do than watch a silly, campy show about aliens. :D

I def think you are right Dubs and it doesn't help that the show is on SciFi instead of NBC or CBS....If you look at shows like Lost or Smallville there is a definite SciFi-ness to them, but they are on more mainstream channels so the dateless geek image isn't so strongly invoked....

I think you right Dub's, shows like Lost are presented as adventure stories while Superman (Smallville) is Fantisy. We all read comics as kids and so are more accepting of Super hero types. Science fiction falls into the nerd catagory, shunned by most.

Right now I've managed to hook 2 other guys in my shop and I have one of the officers wanting to borrow my DVD of the miniseries, so on a ship of 300 that is doing pretty good I think.
But the 2 guys in my shop are hooked big time, and neither of them are what you'd call a sci-fi fan.

I think the best way to wash the stigma away from science fiction is to start bombing sci-fi conventions and kill off the 800 pound gorilla of sci-fi called Star Trek, I honestly believe that show has done way more harm than good to the science fiction genere over the decades. It made science fiction in-accessable to the normal public compared to the 50's and 60's.

Maybe the lower ratings has something to do with how screwy scifi airs the show?

Maybe the lower ratings has something to do with how screwy scifi airs the show?

That so does not help at all!

I will admit that if I wasn't so addicted to the show I sure wouldn't want to waste my Friday nights staying in until 10 or 11 pm to watch it.

Wont have to do that when you get back, they moved it to Sundays now.

I don't know if that will help, I think it should of been on Sunday from the begining.

I hope they plan on a second showing, because I won't be watching it at 10 PM on Sunday, I like "Without a Trace" too much. :(

To be honest...I don't mean to flame the show or nothing... but since you posed the question, I thought you might like to hear a differing point of view. And since I'm neither a lover nor a hater of the show I might have a point of view that might be interesting for this discussion.

The new battlestar is VERY hardcore dark scifi. And that doesn't appeal to your average viewer. Infact, it doesn't fit most people. They are watching American Idol. And I'm not even talking about the hardcore fans of the original show who despise it. Scifi has always had a "geek" stigma to it. That has lessened alot since personal computers transformed soceity. But I think the general viewing populace still don't really like hardcore scifi. Especially if it's dark and heavy all the time.

On the other hand, I have oftened tried to talk about popular shows like NCIS on a battlestar galactica boards, but the threads almost always die from lack of interest. Even though NCIS is one of the most popular shows on tv.

So I'm thinking fans of the new show, probably don't fit the average tastes of the general viewing audience. But then, alot of the popular shows makes ya cringe.

Not that it matters. Being like the average doesn't make you any better a person. Being different doesn't matter either. It's just a matter of taste.

Though it will effect the longevity of the shows you like. Because that requires numbers of viewers.

:)

But speaking as someone who is neither a lover or a hater of the show, I think there are several things I'm not enjoying.

For me the show is too slowly paced. I do enjoy slow entertainment, but this show is dark. And the environment isn't happy. So slow and dark makes it hard sit through for me. though I do enjoy when the action picks up and the vipers are flying.

I also am not that fond of the characters. I find them hard to like. They seem to hate each other. So if they don't like each other, how do I get to like them?

I think the whole cylon master plan story idea is something the average tv viewer can't get into. that's something for fans of the show to really get into. But if you aren't a fan yet, seeing this convoluted story with who is or isn't a cylon, is too hard to get into. BG is a show that the average person won't be able to get into because someone coming in just wants a singular hour of entertainment while BG takes alot more than that to understand. And I think that hurts the growth potential.

And add to the problem that this is on SciFi Channel. A channel with alot of slick advertisements, but they are a very small network meaning it's hard to bring in viewers. They produce very few shows. They can't even fill a week of programming. And the horrible movies really hurt their reputation. So how do you get people to turn to SCIFI in the first place? I think Scifi has a negative reputation in most people's minds. Pick ten people you don't know at random in the center of town, and I bet most of them don't even watch ANYTHING on Scifi Channel.

SciFi really need a more shows. And they need a bigger audience. But until they do, it's going to make it difficult for shows with big special effects budgets to survive.

But as to the original question. Scifi Channel is a channel that most people can't get into. And the same with most of it's shows. It's just not for the average bear.

So enjoy the ride while it lasts. Like with any other show. Enjoy it while it's there. When it's over, there will be something else to entertain ya.

:D

Well I am currently watching SVU and they just showed a commercial for the Dresden Files, which is showing before BSG, on NBC. So maybe, they are going to start showing commercials for SciFi shows on NBC to maybe interests crossover viewers.

Btw, I forgot to add one major factor that may be effecting Battlestar Galactica.

IRAQ.

Everyday we hear on the news that some more american's have died, some more iraqis, and that the situation is getting worse. Add to that tensions with Iran and their nuclear program. It's all pretty grim for our future. And that's the REAL world.

So a fiction about us losing the big war might not resonate with people right now. A dark grim view of the future may be too much for alot of folks.

If you look at the shows that were successful during the Vietnam and Watergate era, you see escapist entertainment like Gilligan's Island, and the Brady Bunch were extremely popular. Now that may not work for today's more jaded post911 audience. But maybe that's why stuff like The Colbert Report is so funny. or why we get a kick out of shows like American Idol. Or those odd quiz shows.

:)

My turn. I’ll preface this with what’s already known: I’m one of the fans of the original show who despises the new show. Not a fanatic. Just a fan who hates it.
(Tom, I took no offense to the remark. I just wanted to state the above for clarity, in case any was needed.)

:ilaugh:

Now, onto the post.

Tom, you hit so many points squarely on the head.

The new battlestar is VERY hardcore dark scifi. And that doesn't appeal to your average viewer. Infact, it doesn't fit most people. They are watching American Idol. And I'm not even talking about the hardcore fans of the original show who despise it. Scifi has always had a "geek" stigma to it. That has lessened alot since personal computers transformed soceity. But I think the general viewing populace still don't really like hardcore scifi. Especially if it's dark and heavy all the time.

Bingo...and I don't watch American Idol. :iwink:


But speaking as someone who is neither a lover or a hater of the show, I think there are several things I'm not enjoying.

For me the show is too slowly paced. I do enjoy slow entertainment, but this show is dark. And the environment isn't happy. So slow and dark makes it hard sit through for me. though I do enjoy when the action picks up and the vipers are flying.

I also am not that fond of the characters. I find them hard to like. They seem to hate each other. So if they don't like each other, how do I get to like them?



During the first 13 episode run which I guess is what folks call “Season 1”, I tried to watch the show. At the time, Tom was the Admin and I was one of the Mods over at Colonial Fleets. I had felt that if I was going to be able to fairly mediate a dispute amongst folks, I’d have to have a bit more knowledge about the subject matter than a “thumbnail sketch”. So, I decided to watch the show.

Yikes!!! Tom’s reference to “slow-paced” is right on target. The show plodded along so slowly that by the 35-40 minute mark, I had dozed off, awakening only to the closing credits. This happened on probably 8 of the first 10 episodes. The shows could not draw me in.

Regarding the environment, agreed. Now, I realize the setting of the show and the basic premise. But, give me a break. No matter what, people are NOT THIS MISERABLE ALL OF THE TIME!! The writers completely overplayed this. To toss an alternative idea back at this, I’ll recall a line from the original Apollo, “What’s a warrior to do, after losing the big one. Win some of the little ones.” That’s what these people do NOT do. They just continue their descent into despair. They fall apart and this leads into the character portrayal. Tom’s right, there’s nothing redeeming about these people at all. The entire planet could have been devastated just as Alderan was in SW: ANH, and no one would have missed them. They are completely unlikeable.


I think the whole cylon master plan story idea is something the average tv viewer can't get into. that's something for fans of the show to really get into. But if you aren't a fan yet, seeing this convoluted story with who is or isn't a cylon, is too hard to get into. BG is a show that the average person won't be able to get into because someone coming in just wants a singular hour of entertainment while BG takes alot more than that to understand. And I think that hurts the growth potential.

Part of the problem that I had with this element of the story is the overuse of the human-looking Cylons. This was another mistake by the producers. They (over)-used the human Cylons in a way that gave the appearance that the show was more of a civil war than a bunch of human survivors fleeing a hostile alien race, hellbent on destroying them.


Btw, I forgot to add one major factor that may be effecting Battlestar Galactica.

IRAQ.

Everyday we hear on the news that some more american's have died, some more iraqis, and that the situation is getting worse. Add to that tensions with Iran and their nuclear program. It's all pretty grim for our future. And that's the REAL world.

So a fiction about us losing the big war might not resonate with people right now. A dark grim view of the future may be too much for alot of folks.

BINGO !!!!! We’ve been saying this for years. Many view science-fiction in a way that allows us to escape the reality of our day-to-day lives and to consider alternatives to our own “methods and procedures”. I’ve been saying all along that Earth is NOT the universal template for the rest of the universe. Not everyone made the mistakes that we did. Especially not people capable of interstellar space travel and, of the creation of a multi-planet central government. That’s where the “reality” of this show did not resonate.

Now that may not work for today's more jaded post911 audience.

This is one of the few things with which I disagree and only with the part about the post-911 audience. I think we portray ourselves as surviving a larger crisis than anyone before us. I don’t think that folks, today, are any more jaded than those during and/or following Watergate; than those during the Vietnam War; than those following Kennedy’s assassination. I just think that folks, today, are afraid to stand their ground and be held accountable. Maybe, I’m wrong and hopefully I am because, today’s generation is going to be running this country when I’m retired.

I think there is a lot of truth to what you've all said, but I'm not sure the darkness is really a turn off. Other shows are equally dark or sometimes moreso. CSI comes to mind. That said, even CSI and other "serious" shows (Law & Order, The Shield, etc) break up the darkness with some humor.

The show to me the first year plodded along alot, the pilot majorly. Things have picked up their pace a bit, and I enjoyed second season, but third fell from 'must see' to 'if I catch it'. The show, while I enjoy it, hasn't held my interest the way other shows have. Part of that is just me, and time. part is the show. Where the original gets blasted for repetitive plots and a general 'sameness' in episodes, the same has become true of this version. It no longer feels like missing an episode will hurt the story line.

My turn. I’ll preface this with what’s already known: I’m one of the fans of the original show who despises the new show. Not a fanatic. Just a fan who hates it.
(Tom, I took no offense to the remark. I just wanted to state the above for clarity, in case any was needed.)

:ilaugh:



I'm not sure what it was I said that might have caused anyone offense....but I'm glad none was taken.

No offense was meant to anyone. :)


--
I think BST, when you were commenting about me saying "being jaded post 911," I think what you are saying is true. But many people are too young to remember our "duck and cover drill" days. Up until 911, it wasn't so bad in retrospect.

:)


Bob, it's interesting you brought up The Shield. I think there are alot of similarities between the Shield and the new Galactica. They both have writing styles for their characters where they have really lead harsh harsh lives.

If I had to live in the universe of one of these shows, I would definitely pick Law and Order over BG or the Shield. (as long as I worked for the police and not a victim!) Law and Order and CSI seem alot lighter to me. The case is the focus of the show, not the main character's turmoil.

I think it's not so much whether you like or don't like this style of show. Obviously, if you like it it is good. But I think its more a matter of percentage of the population who will like this show. Cause some people like one thing, other's like something else. But how does the show appeal to the great giant mass of people who make up the television viewing audience?

I think that is the question.

:)

:D I must be one of those that are the exceptions to the rules. lol I actually watch American Idol, though in all fairness I only watch the beginning and then the final 5 or 6 shows. But I love BSG. I really have not seen it as being slow paced at all. Infact this season I have noticed that the show is over so fast that I can not believe an hour has past. I also do not see the Darkness as being an issue. You mentioned the Law and Order show but in all reality the darkest of the franchise is SVU and it is the most popular of the three shows. The Shield is also very popular, look at the Sopranos, Rome, Carnivale, Rescue Me. These are all shows that are on other small networks and they are all dark.

I really think the problem with BSG gaining new viewers is the fact that it is on SciFi. If it was on FX, it would probably have a larger following. Most people think SciFi shows are not up to par on other shows.

I do agree that it does not appeal to the younger audience. It is weird most of my friends are either younger than me or older than me. :D The younger ones have no idea about BSG and I think could really care less, they are the ones who like the Simple Life and Big Brother and so many reality shows. Which there is nothing wrong with, just not all of them are my cup of tea. They also seem to think that if I like watching anything SciFi then I am a geek. Which I do sometimes take offense too, especially since these are the same friends who like Threshold and Heroes. But I think if those two shows origniated on SciFi then they would not like it.

I also think that is comes down to promoting the show as well. BSG is only promoted on SciFi and that is it. NBC owns like 5 or 6 different networks. You have Deal or No Deal showing repeats on CNBC. Heroes on SciFi, and commercials for The Dresden Files on NBC it self.

But that is just me. ;)

Look, most people automatically tune out what you are saying when you mention it is sci-fi or even when you mention the title, it has nothing to do with "it is too dark", it is a show about the human race almost being extinct! How can it NOT be dark? I don't really want to go down this road because it has been done before many times.
I did not mean for this thread to become peoples dumping ground on why they don't like the show.
I think Carol hit it pretty good though, the show isn't advertised except on sci-fi channel and just about everyone I have gotten hooked on it have never heard of it until I showed it to them.

Look, most people automatically tune out what you are saying when you mention it is sci-fi or even when you mention the title, it has nothing to do with "it is too dark", it is a show about the human race almost being extinct! How can it NOT be dark? I don't really want to go down this road because it has been done before many times.
I did not mean for this thread to become peoples dumping ground on why they don't like the show.
I think Carol hit it pretty good though, the show isn't advertised except on sci-fi channel and just about everyone I have gotten hooked on it have never heard of it until I showed it to them.

Uhmm, yeah. Ok.

Perhaps it's best to never bring up the subject if you don't want to hear all types of responses, both good and bad.

I'm not seeing a dumping on it, but a look at it's pros and cons thats (so far) been pretty fair.

Right now, the problem is 4 fold, IMO.
- Station
- Feeling
- Promotion
- Overcoming the "oh its geek stuff" alot of people feel towards scifi

Sci-Fi could do more to promote it. I think they did run the mini on NBC a while ago, maybe they could rerun it, or package on of the 2 parters into a movie? There have also been rumors of movies, maybe air them simultaneously on both SciFi and NBC? Books are starting to appear now, and there is the comics (though I've never seen them in my local shops), as well as collectible toys. More of this is needed.

The feeling needs some change up. We need a 'light' episode, and some light moments injected to break the dark from time to time. It's not really much darked than an episode of CSI or L&O and those shows have huge followings.

Something else that hasn't been touched on I think.....how was Atlantis's ratings last season? SG1's? The shows leading in tend to have some influence. I know they moved BSG to Sundays, any idea who the lead in show is now?

Dresden Files is the lead in now. It was ok. I think they could have picked a stronger opening show. I am going to watch next week to see if it gets better. It was not bad though. A little confusing. More in line with Supernatural or Charmed, dealing with Warlocks and the other worldly manifestations. I also see some Nightstalker in it as well. We will see.

Yeah the Mini was originally aired on NBC and then they re-ran it on SciFi just before the new show started.

Heres a thought.....do a product placement in one of the goofy sitcoms, 2 characters are arguing over old vs new bsg.....in costume. LOL
Some folks will google it and at least check out an episode or 2. :D

My take might be a little different and from a different angle (it has been touched on previously in this thread).

Let me preface that I was a big fan of the original BSG and I quite like this new incarnation too! (I really like Grace Park -Boomer!!).

I am having a problem with TV in general in this "Reality Based" timeframe we are going through. The ratings are so high for American Idol, Survivor and decent for Amazing Race, Dancing with the Stars, The Apprentice, Beauty and the Geeks, etc. that there is little programming to watch and people are tuning into this stuff instead.

Right now IMHO there is but one "decent" comedy on Two and a Half Men and a couple of Dramas (CSI, Law and Order SVU) and their spin offs and this is causing people to turn to the "Reality stuff".

The NEW BSG is hurt by its station in the USA but here in Canada it is on BOTH The Space channel and City-TV so it gets good airtime but still it is low in the ratings. I think the "Star Trek" saturation hit Sci-Fi a bit as it caused problems for Firefly and now BSG (BSG is surviving due to its actors and plots but I agree if it gets any slower it will remind people of a Daytime-Soap and people will turn off in droves - especially the guys who drive the viewership of this show - no offense ladies it is just that way demographically with this show).

I am not sure if a "new" Star Trek movie is going to be better or worse for Sci-Fi in general and what effect this will have on BSG - it is almost to the point where Star trek needs a 10-year hiatus/break.

Alot of people forget how popular science fiction and fantasy is. You can go here to look at the top grossing films http://boxofficemojo.com/alltime/domestic.htm . Almost all of the top movies are either sci fi or fantasy.

That shows how popular the "nerdy" genres are!

But you know... since we were in school, the cheerleaders and the jocks were always the popular crowd and we were the ones who didn't get invited to their parties. Even though it's the nerds that end up doing amazing things, while the jocks work the gas stations now.

But we still get looked down on!

:D

And always will.

But it could be alot worse. Just looking around on the news, it could be alot worse.

:)

Hey Silent Bob, I remember Bonnie Hammer (head of scifi Channel) talking once about how she wanted to move the scifi channel AWAY from traditional spaceship scifi and make it more like Roswell and such. She wanted to move the programming away from the "geeks" and make it more appealing toward the mainstream. And most importantly, it would cost alot less to produce since spaceship are expensive effects.

yeah... I bet you are probably cringing like I was when I heard that.

SG1 was recently cancelled. And I bet Atlantis is also on the chopping block. I love both of those, but the ratings(along with BG) weren't good last year. And since Atlantis felt the need to do some pretty heavy cast alterations, I'm wondering how much time that show has left. And if shows like Dresden succeed, that will allow Atlantis to be replaced. And after that would come Galactica.

I think shows like Eureka are the future that Scifi Channel execs want. It's easy to promote to a mainstream audience and its relatively cheap to make (I'm assuming). Few to zero spaceships. And you don't have to design and create a whole set for alien worlds each time you visit a new planet. Just set up cameras on a studio lot and film. Or shoot on a soundstage that's already built.

What shows stays on all depends on what people watch. But I'm sure the channel execs prefer cheaper budgets.

And scifi does have a skimpy budget for shows.

I'm sadly expecting "spaceship" shows to go the way of the dinos. At least on TV.

:(

But we will always make a comback, right?

What can you expect from a network that bumps good shows like Tripping the Rift and GhostHunters for WWECW?

BTW, I think Eureka would make the best combo with BG.

It's a good show. Good ratings. And it may grow even more.

I don't know about Dresden yet, but it seems just about everything on scifi is going losing audience. With the possible exception of Eureka.

I think they could make alot of money by just taking some decent scifi in the dusty archives, and doing a commentary thing on it. Just have some actor, who's probably retired and won't cost alot, have them come back and talk about a show as it's playing. Just for one hour a week.

:)

What can you expect from a network that bumps good shows like Tripping the Rift and GhostHunters for WWECW?

Yeah... Scifi Programmings will drive ya nuts. But atleast they are consistant.;)

I thought you guys might appreciate a little cheering up and since many of you don't visit the skiffy board here is what Ron Moore's wife posted about Sunday's episode rating.

New York, NY - January 23, 2007 - In the face of the AFC Championship
game - the highest-rated program since last year's Super Bowl - SCI FI
delivered a decisive victory on Sunday, January 21, with the series
debut of The Dresden Files and the midseason premiere of its Peabody
Award-winning Battlestar Galactica.

With a 1.4 HH rating and 1.7 million viewers P2+, 882,000 viewers P18-49
and one million P25-54s, The Dresden Files (9pm) delivered huge
double-digit increases over the Channel's time period average.
Viewership skyrocketed +34% in HH ratings, +59% in P18-49s and +44% in
P25-54s. The series premiere grew on its lead-in (Final Destination) by
+84% in P18-49s and +132% in P25-54s. Skewing 51% female, Dresden
improved the four-week time period average by +86% among women 18-49,
and +68% among women 25-54.

Delivering a 1.4 HH rating, 1.8 million viewers P2+, 1.3 million P18-49
and 1.3 million P25-54s, Battlestar Galactica, moving to its new Sunday
timeslot, was the #1 basic cable entertainment program for the day among
P18-49 and P25-54. The series grew +60% in P18-49 and +18% in P25-54
compared to its midseason finale (Dec. 15, 2006). This was SCI FI's
best Sunday at 10pm performance since June 2003 (Terminator 2: Judgment
Day).

Battlestar's move to Sundays delivered an astounding increase female
viewers, with a +68% jump among F18-49 and +31% among F25-54 over the
series' midseason finale on Dec. 15, 2006.

From 9-11pm, SCI FI ranked #1 in cable for P18-49s with a 1.3 average HH
rating and 1.7 million viewers P2+. This is SCI FI's best P18-49
performance in the Sunday 9-11pm time period since May 2005 (Jurassic
Park).

Wow! That is great news! I hope it continues to do really well.

I do not want to be negative. I've retyped this three times to make it as non-negative as I can.

I want this show to continue because I have alot of friends who really enjoy it.

But..uhm... 1.8 million viewers seems a little low for how much this show must cost to produce...

Considering that Stargate SG1 was doing about the same...

I know Tom, but Terry has been constantly reasuring the folks at skiffy that she's hearing nothing but good news from the executives about BSG and to quit worrying about the ratings. I don't want to get my hopes up too high but at the same time she has explained quite a bit about it. I'll try and dig up those posts and put them here. :)

Actually, I think the total is 4 Million. i think the 1.8Mil was just the 18-49 demographic, but I could be wrong.

I know Tom, but Terry has been constantly reasuring the folks at skiffy that she's hearing nothing but good news from the executives about BSG and to quit worrying about the ratings. I don't want to get my hopes up too high but at the same time she has explained quite a bit about it. I'll try and dig up those posts and put them here. :)

Rowan,

Tom speaks wisdom and with all due respect, Terry is doing "spin control". Like Tom, I don't want to be negative even though you know that I don't like the show. Ignore what Terry says about the ratings and check them out, yourself. They claim that ratings for (selected) demographics increased. What about the other demo's? Overall, the ratings have been going down hill, pretty much since the beginning of Season 2. If the trend continues, ad revenues will drop. When that happens, alternatives will be sought which would give better profit margins, i.e., a larger spread between revenue and cost.

Unless things pick up and soon, this 1/2 season may be it.

Sorry to be gloom and doom.

Actually, I think the total is 4 Million. i think the 1.8Mil was just the 18-49 demographic, but I could be wrong.

Bob,

The total was 1.8 million. 1.4 share.

The really odd thing about those stats is that first you have the 18-49 group approximately equaling the 25-54 group.
I'm sure the 1.3 million for the two groups are rounded off. So that will throw some errors into what I'm about to say. But the facts will still be right.

I could show you the math, but essentially it means the 18-24 group equals the 50-54 group.

The 18-24 group covers 7 years. While the 50-54 group covers 5 years.

So that means more old folks are watching it than kids!

There is about a ten percent error possible in this assumption at worst. But still, there isn't as large a younger audience than I would have expected. The show seems generally uniform across the different age groups.

I assumed it was mostly appealing to the younger crowd. But I guess I'm wrong.

:)

Doing a rough calculation, about 40,000 people of each specific age, is watched the show. Plus up to about 5000.

So there should be slightly under 40,000 18 year olds watching this. And the numbers seem to want to climb higher up to about 42000 around 50 year olds.

But I could be thousands off. My math is way to rusty nowadays. Age sucks. I used to be able to do einstein relativistic math. That's impossible for me now. Now THIS math is hard!

:P

Just to give a comparison, WWECW on SciFi is doing a 1.3-1.5 rating consistantly, and SciFi considers that good.

UFC is .8-.9, SPIKE considers that good, and TNA is in the .9-1.4, again numbers SPIKE considers good.

SciFi sees wrestling and their demographics to be compatible.


The lower ratings are a concern though, as 2+ were common the first years.

One thing I just remembered, a couple years ago Comcast moved Sci-fi off their lineup in the Chicago area causing a lot of people to worry about ratings on both BGS and the Stargate shows, part of the problem could be the fact that Sci-fi isn't by all cable providers in all area's or if it is, it is part of a package that probably has a butt load of channels you don't want anyways and probably won't order.

One thing I just remembered, a couple years ago Comcast moved Sci-fi off their lineup in the Chicago area causing a lot of people to worry about ratings on both BGS and the Stargate shows, part of the problem could be the fact that Sci-fi isn't by all cable providers in all area's or if it is, it is part of a package that probably has a butt load of channels you don't want anyways and probably won't order.


That right there is poart of the reason I don't get National Geographic. I can't afford an extra $15 a month just to get 2 or 3 channels I want and 40 TV channels and 100 music channels I don't

I think at this point you should be able to pick X amount of channels you want from the cable company and pay Y amount.
If we were able to do that CSPAN, all those religious channels, BET and UNIVISION would be gone from my service and BBC would be added.

Tell me about it....I actually use only about 35 of the 100 channels I have....

Scifi Channel has a very professional look. But they have so few new shows even at their busiest.

I have also heard about Scifi not being available from all providers. So that would hurt the amount of viewers any show is capable of getting each night. Which effects how much money a show can generate with commercials. Which effects the ability to develop and produce and maintain scifi shows with a either a large cast, special effects, or actors who expensive contracts.

Budgets must be VERY tight there.

I think though, we are entering a new age. I've watched beautiful full screen video from CBS and ABC online. They put up for free, shows that have aired on tv. And they pay for it with commercials embedded in the show.

I really like being able to watch a show whenever I want to on my own schedule. And I think this will be the way of the future. Japan already has full flowing video across wifi networks. So you can watch full screen video on your laptops and cell phones anytime you want.

So hopefully soon you should be able to pick what show you want to watch, and what time you want to watch them.

:D

Cable Ratings: Wrestling a Winner in January

By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 1/30/2007 3:34:00 PM
(http://del.icio.us/post)


Wrestling and jump rope helped USA Network and Disney Channel to a near tie win in cable's January ratings. USA eked out a win with 2.74 million total viewers in prime, its WWE wrestling accounting for nearly ten of the month's 20 most viewed shows, according to Nielsen Media Research. Non-ad-supported Disney came in with 2.72 million viewers, on the strength of Jump In, its original movie about jump roping that premiered Jan. 12.

With 8.46 million viewers, Jump In became Disney's most-watched original movie premiere ever - besting the now cultural phenomenon High School Musical - and ranked as January's top cable program. It was followed by the premiere of Disney's new live-action series Cory in the House, which averaged 7.7 million viewers.

Top finishers after USA and Disney for the month were TNT with 2.03 million viewers in prime, TBS with 1.76 million and A&E with 1.68 million.

For the week ending Jan. 28, NBC Universal's USA and Sci Fi both had reason to celebrate. Sci Fi's Battlestar Galactica and The Dresden Files saw ratings bumps in their second weeks on Sunday night (Jan. 28). Dresden averaged 1.89 million viewers (up from 1.73 million for its series premiere) and Battlestar averaged 2.05 million (up from 1.8 million last week). The shows' Jan. 21 premiere numbers may have been diluted by competition from the AFC Championship game on CBS, which drew nearly 50 million that night.

At USA, both Monk and Psych posted solid numbers for their second week of episodes on Friday (Jan. 26). With 5 million and 3.71 million viewers respectively, each drew an audience just smaller than their season premieres.

In other cable news, VH1 will run a marathon and an unaired episode of Armed & Famous, the reality show cast off by its corporate sibling CBS, this Saturday (Feb. 3). Armed, which follows C-list celebs as they train to be police officers, was slated for seven episodes, but only five have been made and four aired by CBS. VH1 will run the last two episodes if producers get the greenlight on making them.



http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6411697.html :D

So it looks like the move to Sunday was a good thing then.

I'm trying to remember what is on at that time, Mind of Mancia I think but Comedy Central runs enough reruns I'd rather watch Battlestar.

:D Whoo Hoo!!!! Yay!!!!!!

I am glad to see the numbers rise.

Mrs. Moore posted more good news yeterday :D

The overnights were 1.7
I think I remember that Ron told me that the overall was a 1.5, or 1.6. The overall is always lower, for all shows. It has something to do with math, beyond my understanding, or interest.
They were up in all the key demographics. Everyone is pleased, and feels that the Sunday move was a good thing.

Kewl!

The CEO of NBC Universal just got sacked because of the company's overall lower ratings.

That may or may not have anything to do directly with BG. Though the overall ratings across all of NBC and it's cable stations have been bad. Having a new CEO, might change things for the show. Maybe more money. Or maybe less. Maybe the network may want changes on BG. Or push it to a more visible stage. Who knows. Time well tell.

But one of the mandates the parent company, GE, is putting on the new CEO is increased digital marketing. Such as providing shows on the internet.

No one has truly tapped in to the internet yet. Think of a network with unlimited channels and an ever expanding list of programming, all of it on call to the view – on a pay per view basis.

How about an animated TOS series – done by DeSanto, available only by down load. Or extended TNS shows also only available on down load. No advertisers, all digital format stored on cheap servers.

The possibilities are endless.

Yesterday KR posted this at Skiffy.

BSG is indeed getting picked up for a Season 4, with 13 episodes to air in early January.
This is to be preceded by a TV-movie in September.
It is possible there will be more than 13 episodes, but with actors' contracts pending, they
decided to go with this option for now.
The official announcement is coming next week!
KR

http://forums.scifi.com/index.php?showtopic=2263947&st=0&p=2758079&#entry2758079

Woohooo!!!!!!

Well that is some good news!

No one has truly tapped in to the internet yet. Think of a network with unlimited channels and an ever expanding list of programming, all of it on call to the view – on a pay per view basis.

How about an animated TOS series – done by DeSanto, available only by down load. Or extended TNS shows also only available on down load. No advertisers, all digital format stored on cheap servers.

The possibilities are endless.

There is actually a hidden internet channel like that. Though it has commercials in the file. But it's free. It's called GoogleTV. Yup, it's by the folks at Google. But it's not public yet. And it's already started to gather networks on it. And you can watch what you want, when you want it.

It works well. But they don't have the resources yet for massive public access.
:)

There is actually a hidden internet channel like that. Though it has commercials in the file. But it's free. It's called GoogleTV. Yup, it's by the folks at Google. But it's not public yet. And it's already started to gather networks on it. And you can watch what you want, when you want it.

It works well. But they don't have the resources yet for massive public access.
:)


:o My god this world is changing so fast! How are we ever going to keep up?

Woohoooo on the renewal!

Sephiroth144 posted this on a thread at skiffy today


Season 4 is a go!, KR was right!
So to the faithful, you've got 13 + 1 good to go- corks, begin popping...


The + 1 he is referring to is the movie.

I spoke with RDM and David Eick tonight, and they both confirmed this separately- that is solid in my book.




Went to the WGA awards, and with DE, well, he was standing off by himself, so I went to talk to the guy, said his show was nominated, that it was Battlestar, and since it wasn't Ron, said, "Oh, you're David"... Evening went on, etc etc...
Unfortunately, Big Love won the catergory


Oh, this might help though, come to think of it...

(He posted a pic of himself with RDM at the award show.)

Followed by this post by MrsRon...


I was joking, I guess badly. I forget to be literal.
Everyone who likes the show, should be very happy. All is well. No one has been reprimanded or chastised, no budgets have been cut, no instructions have been given to do or change anything, there are no caveats or exclusion clauses, pick your metaphor. Everyone is happy, the production, the studio, the network.

But there are many who will explain why I am not credible, that's what I was joking about.

Gotta go, just wanted to check in.


:D

The official word is in

Battlestar Renewed For Season 4

SCI FI Channel announced that it has renewed its Peabody-winning original series Battlestar Galactica (http://www.scifi.com/battlestar/), ordering 13 new episodes. Production will resume this summer in Vancouver, Canada, with an eye toward a January 2008 premiere.

The decision comes after the series' successful move to a new 10 p.m. timeslot on Sundays. Since moving, Battlestar Galactica's audience has grown over its third-season average by 8 percent in total viewers, by double digits in female viewers, by 19 percent in the show's target demographic of adults aged 18-49 and by 14 percent in adults 25-54. The Jan. 28 episode, "Taking a Break From All Your Worries," delivered 2.5 million total viewers and 1.6 million adults 18-49, the largest audience for any episode since the season-two premiere.

"We're thrilled to bring Battlestar back for another season," Mark Stern, SCI FI's executive vice president of programming, said in a statement. "This series has delivered on every level, from the writing to the acting to the production values. SCI FI is proud to be the home of the best show on television."

The series is from NBC Universal Television Studio and is executive-produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. Its cast is led by Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park. Battlestar recently returned with the second half of its third original season, immediately following SCI FI's newest original series, The Dresden Files (http://www.scifi.com/dresden/).

"While we never had any doubt that SCI FI would get behind a fourth season of Battlestar, it's thrilling to finally make it official, and for Ron and I to continue using this great genre to investigate the darker corners of society, politics and humanity," executive producer David Eick said in a statement.


http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index.php?category=2&id=40133

And from scyfy portal this little tidbit...


"It has not been decided whether it will be 13 episodes or 22," Producer David Weddle told SyFy Portal soon after word was released that the series had been renewed. "We should have a decision on that soon."


http://www.syfyportal.com/news423250.html


So now we can all breath a sigh of relief and celebrate! :D

:D Yay!!!!! * thea does a little bellydance in happiness*

Congratulations!

I guess the move to Sunday was a smart move. I originally doubted it was wise to move it to Sunday, but the boost in ratings is probably what made it so they could say that they could go another season so soon.

Congratulations!

I guess the move to Sunday was a smart move. I originally doubted it was wise to move it to Sunday, but the boost in ratings is probably what made it so they could say that they could go another season so soon.

Well, I don't know. If you go by this (http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?date=02/15/07&id=7300), I'd say no.

Personally, I'm wondering where the 2.5 million came from. It doesn't make sense for the show to suddenly show a 78% ratings increase (from 1.4 million to 2.5 million - an increase of 1.1 million) when it has been no where near that mark for over a year. The numbers reported on the above link tend to be in line with the ratings trend Skiffy has been reporting weekly.

Well My opinion is and you know what opinions are like everyone has one . I think the best thing the that happened to BattleStar Galactica ,was Sunday night . There are alot more people home on Sunday and it is late enough that if you dont want your kids to watch it is a school night .Here in Central time it comes on at 10:00 pm plenty of time to have kids in bed .

Plus you can pick up they ones that would be in a bar or out for dinner on the start of a weekend .I think It was a good move and a smart one It gives me something after the Fox sunday line up to watch .

KR posted an update at Skiffy on Feb 21

My BSG source has said that the episode order has now increased to 20, plus 2 episodes for the TV-movie-
and all for Season 4! Galactica Rules in 2007-2008!
So Say we All!
It's still unofficial, but the nice thing about unofficial is that it usually turns out to be true,
when it comes from Koenigrules!
KR

Cool!

Cool!

;)

More, More, MORE!

Hopefully I'll get caught up episode wise. Think I've only seen 4-5 episodes 3rd season. :(

Some recent quotes from MrsRon


Darth my dear,
fear not, Ron's career couldn't be in better in better shape. truly. I am not spinning. At this point Ron is trying to figure what to take and what to turn down. Last time I said something like this, it started WWII, but suffice it to say, out of all of the meetings and all of the big name producers and directors that have come a calling, no one has ever mentioned the ratings, they do mention being huge fans of the work who never miss an episode. No one ever wants to believe me, that this show is so highly regarded in this town that it is very, very good for SciFi and for Ron Moore.


I've been right so far.

but of course you are right, SciFi could be lying, or they could abrubtly change their mind. But barring that, which NONE of us can possibly know, we are only hearing the positive.The studio would LIKE it to run for 10 seasons (Ron doesn't).
So why waste time counting on something that none of us can know?
An earthquake could happen tmorrow to. Beyond having emergency supllies, I can't let my life revolve around something that I can't predict and is beyond my comtrol.

The big announcement that night was that SciFi had decided to pick up the back nine of Battlestar Galactica (http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=thud&id=9459#)’s fourth season. The network had previously only ordered 13 episodes, but now had gone for a 22, despite the show seemingly dipping in the ratings. I asked SciFi president Bonnie Hammer what motivated the full season pick-up, especially since so many fans had been worried that the show might get cancelled altogether.

“First of all, it’s not really down,” she told me. “We’ve grown the younger audience and we’ve grown women, so the shift from Friday to Sunday has been a positive one. But we also, with all the new research that’s been done, realize that one out of every four viewers DVRs Battlestar Galactica. So if you add 25% to our ratings in terms of a weekly basis, it’s huge. And it’s one of these shows where everybody I bump into watches it, but we’re never quite sure how, when or where. Is it downloaded, is it DVR, is it home video? But if you look at the masses of audience that actually know every piece of BSG, it’s huge.”

She also confirmed that the two hour direct-to-video Battlestar movie (http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=thud&id=9459#) was being looked at as a possible ‘backdoor pilot’ for the proposed spin-off show, Caprica. “It’s one of the options that we have in terms of doing the two hour.”

For more on Battlestar Galactica check out my interview with Grace Park here (http://chud.com/interviews/9458).



http://www.chud.com/index.php?type=thud&id=9459

So no more fretting about those low rating numbers :D You have your answer from the boss. ;)

I just wish it was captivating me as much as the first year. :(

Yay!!!!! I am actually loving this season. There have been those few eps that are like... eh... but overall I have been edge of my seat.

I can't WAIT till Sunday! Even though I know they will leave me hanging for months & months, the b@$tard$!!!